At the top end each is wound around a tuning peg, at the other end each is tied to a silk string holder (neo) that loops around the end stub of the neck (nakagosaki) where it exits from the bottom of the resonator and serves as the tailpiece. Three nylon (or, traditionally silk) strings of differing gauges run the length of the instrument. A buzzing effect, also called sawari, is created when this particular string is vibrating. Only the lowest-tuned string actually is in contact with the upper edge of this niche. Secondly, a shallow trough or niche (sawari) is carved across the fingerboard just below the nut. First, a nut/bridge (kami-goma) made from rolled-up brass runs partially across the neck, so that the two higher-pitched strings pass over it, but not the third string. At the point where the neck becomes the pegbox a subtle but important pair of features are in place that contribute to the desired sound of this instrument. A pegbox (itogura) with three laterally mounted friction tuning pegs (itomaki) tops the neck. The long fretless neck (sao) is typically constructed of three joined segments of wood, and can be disassembled for ease of transport. The top and bottom openings of this frame are covered with stretched hides (kawa) of dog or cat skin that are glued to it. The resonator (do) is a square wood frame about four inches deep constructed from four slightly arched slats of wood (usually redwood or Chinese quince). The shamisen is a spike lute, meaning that the neck passes through the walls and interior of the resonator. The shamisen pictured here is of the type called hosozao, which is used in lyrical (utamono) song genres, rather than narrative (katarimono) ones, and in the sankyoku instrumental trio. Utamono genres include the now nearly defunct kumiuta repertoire, and the hauta (‘beginning’), kouta (‘short’), and nagauta(‘long’) song genres. Alternately known as samisen (in Kyoto and Osaka) and sangen (when played with koto in jiuta chamber music), and now sometimes spelled syamisen, the shamisen has associated with it a large repertoire of music. The shamisen is a plucked chordophone of Japan that has been popular in folk, art, and theatre music since the middle of the 17th century.
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